Authorities ID driver killed in Panhandle chase crash

January 8, 2018

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a fatal crash that ended a police chase in the Nebraska Panhandle.

The Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office said in a new release Monday that the chase started in Mitchell around 9:50 p.m. Sunday when a man in a pickup truck sped away from a Mitchell officer. The chase reached beyond 95 mph as the pickup raced southeast on U.S. Highway 26 toward Scottsbluff, about 9 miles (15 kilometers) to the southeast.

The Sheriff’s Office says the pickup went out of control soon after reaching Scottsbluff. The truck crashed into a tree, ejecting the driver. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Sheriff’s Office identified him as 37-year-old Joseph Beeler, who lived in Mitchell.